Reading

[Intro] (Instrumental Solo) [Verse 1] Teacher slid a book across the desk, "Cover to cover, kid" But the letters squirmed like fish, wouldn’t stick to the grid Huddled in the back row, forcing a shaky grin While the page’s words did the backstroke again Reading felt like trench warfare, every line a new fight A chapter was a mountain, a paragraph a long, cold night Momma leaned in, voice cutting through the roar "Push through the static—you’re stronger than the war" [Verse 2] So I stopped chasing the print, let my ears take the lead Carved my voice in the margins, found a language to read Now I let the rhythm translate what the page won’t say Turned that word-war into a weapon I wield today I used to think my brain was cracked, every test a red siren Confidence ironed flat by the class’s speed-fire While they sprinted for answers, I mapped the terrain Read the tone in a breath, the cause in the pain [Pre-Hook] Took years to see it wasn’t lack of drive Just a different kind of wiring in my mind They raced through lines, I built the frame Saw patterns and meaning, missed the name Now the pages don’t tower—they bend to my pace Turned that struggle into strength I can trace [Chorus] Read it slow, let it go, let the message align Every line’s got a pulse, every word’s got a spine They screamed speed’s the skill, I said depth is divine I don’t race the page—I let the page redefine Read it low, read it loud, read between what they say Found power in the pause, voice in the delay Was a war with the words, now the words stand by my side I don’t just read the lines—I read life when I rhyme [Verse 3] I don’t skim for the gist, I dissect every beat Hear truth in the cadence, catch lies in the heat Labels tried to box me in, neat little squares But I read faces better than paragraphs there I read the room’s tension, the pause in a speech The strength in a whisper, the rage in a reach Wasn’t built for the sprint—I’m a long-distance mind Digging for gold where the fast ones won’t find [Bridge] They teach one path like no others exist But the mind’s not a ruler—it’s a prism that twists I learned patience from friction, focus from doubt Some doors swing open when you don’t rush ’em out The world’s not a textbook, printed black and white I read it in the silences, the spaces between light [Chorus] Read it slow, let it go, let the message align Every line’s got a pulse, every word’s got a spine They screamed speed’s the skill, I said depth is divine I don’t race the page—I let the page redefine Read it low, read it loud, read between what they say Found power in the pause, voice in the delay Was a war with the words, now the words stand by my side I don’t just read the lines—I read life when I rhyme [Outro] So if the letters still swim, let ’em drift a while Every mind’s got a rhythm—you just gotta find your style I ain’t late to the lesson, I arrive when it’s right Some of us read the world before we read what’s in sight